Forbidden City

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The Forbidden City at night

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government. It is also know as the Palace Museum.

The Forbidden City is the world's largest surviving palace complex and covers 72 hectares. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987,and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Collections: Inside the Palace Museum

Ceramic
The Palace Museum holds 340,000 pieces of ceramics and porcelain. These include imperial collections from the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, as well as pieces commissioned by the Palace, and, sometimes, by the Emperor personally. The Palace Museum holds about 320,000 pieces of porcelain from the imperial collection. The rest are almost all held in the National Palace Museum in Taipei and the Nanjing Museum.

Paintings
The Palace Museum holds close to 50,000 items of paintings. Of these, more than 400 date from before the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). This is the largest such collection in China. The collection is based on the palace collection in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The personal interest of Emperors such as Qianlong meant that almost all surviving paintings from the Yuan Dynasty and before were held by the palace. However, a significant portion of this collection was lost over the years. After his abdication, Puyi transferred paintings out of the palace, and many of these were subsequently lost or destroyed. In 1948, the pick of the remaining collection were moved to Taiwan. The collection has subsequently been replenished, through donations, purchases, and transfers from other museums.

Bronzeware
The Palace Museum's bronze collection dates from the early Shang Dynasty (founded c. 1766 BC). Of the almost 10,000 pieces held, about 1,600 are inscribed items from the pre-Qin period (to 221 BC). A significant part of the collection is ceremonial bronzeware from the imperial court.

Timepieces
The Palace Museum has one of the largest collections of mechanical timepieces of the 18th and 19th centuries in the world, with more than 1,000 pieces. The collection contains both Chinese- and foreign-made pieces. Chinese pieces came from the palace's own workshops, Guangzhou (Canton) and Suzhou (Suchow). Foreign pieces came from countries including Britain, France, Switzerland, the United States and Japan. Of these, the largest portion come from Britain.

Jade
Jade has a unique place in Chinese culture.The Museum's collection, mostly derived from the imperial collection, includes some 30,000 pieces. The pre-Yuan Dynasty part of the collection includes several pieces famed throughout history, as well as artefacts from more recent archaeological discoveries. The earliest pieces date from the Neolithic period. Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty pieces, on the other hand, include both items for palace use, as well as tribute items from around the Empire and beyond.

Palace artifacts
In addition to works of art, a large proportion of the Museum's collection consists of the artifacts of the imperial court. This includes items used by the imperial family and the palace in daily life, as well as various ceremonial and bureaucratic items important to government administration. This comprehensive collection preserves the daily life and ceremonial protocols of the imperial era.


Here are some tips if you plan to visit The Forbidden City:
If pressed for time, try to spend at least half a day exploring; if you have more time, consider return trips—the Forbidden City's stately spaces and myriad treasures are best lingered over.

Try to avoid weekends and holidays when crowds peak. If you're in a hurry, a tour guide can help you understand the significance of what you're seeing; if you have time, you might choose to explore on your own with a guidebook.

The southern Tiananmen Gate—one of four gates connecting the palace to the outside world—serves as the main entrance.


The price to get into the Forbidden City is pretty high, around 60 RMB but you will easily whittle away a couple of hours here. For an additional 20 RMB or so, you can purchase an audio tour in one of many languages. This tour is world-class. The English version is done by Roger Moore (of James Bond fame). Together with some sound effects he expertly guides you through the complex. Worth every penny.

Getting to the Forbidden City couldn't be easier. It is located at the rear of Tiananmen Square. You can go to the Tiananmen East (116) or Tiananmen West (117) Line 1 subway stations and walk behind Mao's picture.

Like Tiananmen, we do not recommend you go by taxi to the Forbidden City unless you live a long way away as the taxis cannot easily park near the south entrance. Instead you can go by subway or walk from Wangfujing Street. The name of the Forbidden City in Chinese is as follows. You may want to print this and hand it to someone if you have difficulty finding it.
故宫博物院
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City




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